Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to communication networks, and more specifically, to data-driven estimation of network port delay.
Description of the Related Art
A communication network may include network elements that route packets through the network. Some network elements may include a distributed architecture, wherein packet processing may be distributed among several subsystems of the network element (e.g., line cards). Thus, network elements may be modular and may include various sub-systems and sub-elements, which may include a shelf, a slot, a port, a channel, or various combinations thereof.
In particular, a network element can be abstracted as a generalized network node having ports that provide input and output paths to other ports on other nodes. Any communications network can, in turn, be represented using the node/port abstraction to make the large number of ports in the network visible.
Because the typical communications network comprises a large number of ports, the performance of each network port may be determinative for the performance and operation of network paths in the network. When the performance of a port is physically degraded, the port may exhibit packet loss or packet delay for all network paths passing through the port, which is undesirable. Therefore, the actual performance of individual ports in a communications network is an important factor in operating a communications network.